Oral History - all
Klaus Mönnig worked for 60 years at the Gebrüder Mönnig company, where he was responsible for tuning and voicing oboes and bassoons. As well as being an accomplished musician, Klaus would also visit trade shows such as Musikmesse and the NAMM Show to represent the company. With his musical... more
Friedrich Mönnig started to build oboes, clarinets, and bassoons in 1955 for his dad, Willi Mönnig’s, company. Later he became head of the production of flutes at Gebrüder Mönnig and worked there until the year 2000. As did his brother, Friedrich, and Klaus, who is their cousin first removed, and... more
Paula Lang’s father, Andreas Prüller, owned a company in Schönbach producing purflings for violins, cellos and guitars. After World War II, the Czech government started nationalizing production facilities and due to his experience in the application of varnish to string instruments, Andreas Prüller... more
Birth Date: July 30, 1931
Deceased Date: September 7, 2021
Ernst Lang married Paula Prüller 1958 in Luby, Czech Republic, formerly named Schönbach, and both came from families involved in the production of musical instruments. Ernst Lang’s father, Rudolf, made violins and violas while Paula’s father, Andreas Prüller, owned a company producing purflings for... more
Jochen Keilwerth’s grandfather founded the Julius Keilwerth Saxophones company in 1925 in Grasnitz. Once one of the largest saxophone producers in Europe, Keilwerth also produced trumpets and trombones, and gained a particular reputation for the Keilwerth SX90R saxophone that was introduced in... more
Max Junger is the director of Pyramid Junger GmbH. He carries on the family tradition of string making in the 6th generation. Founded in 1850 as A. Osmanek Musikinstrumenten & Saitenfabrik, the company has its origins in Schönbach, which is today known as Luby, Czech Republic. After 1945, the... more
Matthias Hellinger and his brother, Andreas, own Rohema which was founded in 1888 by Eduard Robert Hellinger and produced batons, drumsticks, and percussion instruments. The company was small enough during socialist times in East Germany to remain private, but production was challenging. The... more
Manfred Gleissner is a part of Gleissner tonewoods, which is known for supplying high quality tonewood to luthiers around the world. Grandfather Anton Gleissner founded the company with his brother in 1905 sourcing the wood form Bosnia and the Carpathian Mountains. After 1945 the family resettled... more
Walter Glaßl is leading the Walter Geipel Company known for producing rosin for string instruments in Bubenreuth, now in the third generation. The company was founded 1908 by Walter Geipel in Kirchberg close to the town of Schönbach, historically a major center of violin making. Walter Glaßl’s... more
Birth Date: November 18, 1922
Deceased Date: March 28, 2008
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Harry Sargent was a jazz drummer based out of Memphis, Tennessee. His father, Kenny Sargent (1906-1969), was a famous singer during the Big Band Era. Kenny scored several... more
Birth Date: April 29, 1912
Deceased Date: November 13, 1999
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Donald Mills was an original member of the Mills Brothers, one of the most popular singing groups in American popular music. The group began as four brothers: John Jr.,... more
Karlheinz Götz has always been proud of his musical heritage. His grandfather, Conrad August Götz, was the founder of the C.A. Götz Company back in 1884. The company, which was located near Markneukrichen, Germany handcrafted violin parts such as tuning pegs and later the manufacturing of strings.... more
Richard Grünke of Richard Grünke & Söhne GmbH which is located close to Bubenreuth produces high quality bows. Richard’s sons, Klaus and Thomas, run the business today but their father is still active in the workshop. Richard learned the craft of bow making in Markneukirchen at H.R.... more
Klaus Götz’ family comes from Wernitzgrün, a small town not far from Markneukirchen. His grandfather, Conrad August Götz, founded C.A. Götz in 1884 which initially produced tuning pegs and strings. In 1958, Klaus Götz, together with his brother Karlheinz, traveled to the United States to personally... more
Gerhard Dotzauer has made a living selling musical instrument parts to companies worldwide. He provides bridges, exotic woods, machine heads, and specializes in necks for banjos with mother of pearl and abalone inlays for such companies as Baldwin and Gibson, among many others. He sources these... more
Birth Date: July 8, 1930
Deceased Date: May 18, 2014
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Jerry Vale had a series of popular recordings in the era after the big bands and before rock and roll. Known for his crooning style, Jerry hit the charts with songs such... more
Birth Date: February 11, 1928
Deceased Date: March 1, 2022
Conrad Janis played a music store owner on the hit TV sitcom Mork and Mindy. Conrad, who became a trombonist as a teenager, played Mindy’s father, the owner of a musical instrument store set in Colorado. Between takes, Conrad often jammed with Robin Williams who, according to Conrad, played a mean... more
Stephen Pearl was inspired while working with Irv Kratka at Music Minus One to create a series of recordings of Broadway musicals that would provide background music for singers. In 1997, his newly formed company, Stage Star Records, released its first product, recordings for the musical The... more
Barbara Gensmer established herself as one of the top church organ dealers in the United States, having sold and installed over 1,200 units since the 1970s. She focused on Minnesota and Wisconsin, and stayed loyal to the Rodgers Instrument Company for most of her career. In 1991, when Rodgers... more
Lloyd Larson has been a prolific composer and arranger for a number of music publishers since the early 1980s. While focusing on church music, Lloyd has also composed for school music programs. Among his most noted works are those for choral and keyboard, some 1,500 publications so far! Over the... more